The List: 24 Aug 2000 (Issue 395)

The bower boys are back in town for Snatch, Guy Ritchie's follow-up to Lock, Stock And No Smoking Barrels

States to rescue abducted princess Pei Pei (Liu) from the villainous Do Fong. Things don't go smoothly, however, and Chong ﬁnds himself teaming up with an incompetent yet affable criminal, Roy O'Bannon (Wilson). Filmed in widescreen, Shanghai Noon affectionately sends up the characters and conventions of numerous Westerns, while the ever-smiling Chan's martial arts stunts are still ajoy to behold. See review. General release. Sleeping Beauty (U) *vktt (Clyde Geronimi, US, 1959) Voices of Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audrey. 75 mins. Disney's classic animated version of the traditional nightmarish fairy tale. Though not quite in the same league as Cinderella, there's much to admire: mountain-top castle and dark forests, fairies and woodland animals and a rousing classical soundtrack. Still delights after all these years. Glasgow: Odeon.

Snatch (l8) ht (Guy Ritchie, UK, 2000) Brad Pitt, Benicio Del 'l‘orro,. 102 mins. Ritchie insists that Snatch is not a sequel to Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels. And he is right; it‘s practically a remake. There‘s the same swaggering facetiousness, the same juvenile obsession with underworld villains, and the same cod-Cockney accents. Ritchie's penchant for baroque plotting is also in evidence, although Lock Stock's mildly confusing denouemcnt was crystal clear compared to the opening of Snatch. The acting is a notch up from the ﬁrst ﬁlm, while some of the gags and situations are genuinely funny. See review. General release.

Some Voices (18) * (Simon Cellan Jones, 1K, 2000) Daniel Craig, Kelly. 101 mins. Ray (Craig) is trying to readjust to life after a stint in a psychiatric institution. As he wanders through West london he stumbles into [aura (Macdonald), with whom he becomes infatuated and the unlikely romance blossoms. Adapted by playwright Joe Penhall from his own successful stage play, the characters fail to transfer to the silver screen. The somewhat predictable descent into madness fails to provide much of an insight into the nature of Ray's mental health, neither does the ﬁlm present a believable account of a couple in love. Disappointing, considering the talent involved. See review. Glasgow: GF'T. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

Starship Troopers (15) ***** (Paul Verhoeven, US, 1997) Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards. 129 mins. Way in the future, Earth is run by a crypto-fascist regime, and the members of the Galactic Armed Forces are sent into space to fight a race of alien bugs hell-bent on wiping out humanity. The computer animation work is ﬁrst rate and, despite its gory slice ‘n‘ dice violence, one reading of the movie‘s sub-text is decidedly anti-militaristic. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Stuart Little (U) tit (Rob Minkoff, US, 2000) Michael J. Fox, Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie. 92 mins. Live action with a computer generated talking mouse voiced by Michael J. Fox, Minkoff‘s adaptation of EB. White's classic childrens' book sees the sweet wee rodent orphan being adopted by affluent Manhattanitcs the Little family. Stuart‘s problems begin with a new nemesis, the mean- spirited, inappropriately-named family cat Snowbell. The message of the ﬁlm is clear - little guy discovers the meaning of family, loyalty and friendship - but of more interest to viewers both small and large will be the Tom

And Jerry-style antics. General release. Sunshine (15) *‘kt (lstvan Szabo, Hungary/Germany/Canada/Austria/UK, 2000) Ralph Fiennes, Jennifer Ehle and William Hurt. 179 mins. Great big pan of goulash of a movie from former European cinema darling Szabo (Mephisto, Colonel Redl). Focusing on lives deﬁned and broken by history and politics, Sunshine tells the stories of three generations of Hungarian Jews living in the 20th century. But it‘s predictable, clumsy and ultimately manipulative; a modem audience does not need themes of bigotry, family and patriotism so obviously and chronologically underlined. Falkirk: F'I'H Cinema.

Sweet And Lowdown (PG) *‘ki‘k (Woody Allen, US, 2000) Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Uma Thurman. 95 mins. Penn is simply awesome as 19305 musician Emmet Ray, the self-proclaimed second best guitar player in the world. Respect for the ‘gypsy guitar man‘ Django Reinhardt is Ray‘s sole element of humility; he is rude, egomaniacal and utterly selﬁsh and the one who suffers most is the mute Hattie (the splendid Morton). Visually, musically, dramatically and comedically, Sweet/ind Lowdown can sit comfortably among Woody Allen‘s best works. And with the passing of cinematic time, they will surely be reﬂected upon as his lead pair‘s ﬁnest hour and a half. Falkirk: FTH Cinema. Stirling: MacRobert.

Tarzan (U) *iii (Kevin Lima and Chris Buck, US, 1999) Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, Nigel Hawthome. 88 mins. Disney has ﬁnally turned its attention to the second most ﬁlmed character in Western cinema (Dracula is the ﬁrst) and has created some astonishing images. Storytelling-wise, Tarzan remains reasonably faithfully to Edgar Rice Burroughs original. Shipwrecked on a tropical island, baby Tarzan looses his human parents to a terrifying tiger and is adopted by an ape clan. All grown up, the Ape Man is reunited with man and womankind when a trophy hunting/anthromlogical expedition arrives and Tarzan meets Jane. Kilmarnock: Odeon. There's Only One Jimmy Grimble (12) *it (John Hay, UK, 2000) Lewis. 105 mins. Life could not be worse for ﬁfteen-year-old Jimmy Grimble (McKenzie). The poor lad dreams of becoming a professional footballer, but the moment he hits the pitch his skill deserts him. Everything changes when a tramp gives Jimmy an old pair of football boots, which turn him into a demon on the pitch and also affect everyone around him for the better, including his cowed PE teacher (Carlyle). Despite a title which proclaims the uniqueness of its hero, there‘s nothing surprising or particularly individual about this cute urban fairy tale. See feature and review. General release.

The Thing From Another World (PG) (Christian Nyby, US, 1951) Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Robert Cornthwaite. 87 mins. Another from the honour roll of great sci-ﬁ ﬁlms, in which a group of scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a flying saucer and its deadly occupant. A superb build-up of tension and menace. Gorily remade as The Thing in 1982. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Thomas And The Magic Railroad (U) it (Britt Allcroft, UK/US, 2000) Voices of Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Michael E. Rodgers. 79 mins. This adaptation of the Reverend Wilbur Awdry books is aimed squarely at under tens.

Whilst children will be lapping up the tale of Thomas The Tank Engine aiding The Conductor (Baldwin) against the evil Diesel train, accompanying guardians will be wondering what happened to Allcroft‘s classic series narrated by Ringo Starr. Surely it was never this juvenile! General release.

The Tigger Movie (U) *itt (Jun Falkenstein, US, 2000) 77 mins. ldentical in many ways to 1977‘s The ManyAdventures 0f Winnie The Pooh, this new yarn based on A.A. Milne‘s characters ﬁnds Pooh, Piglet, Tigger et al still living a charmed life of tea parties and afternoon naps. Only this time, the wee stripy fella's decided being one of a kind isn't quite as cool as he‘d ﬁrst thought and so a literal quest for the Tigger Family Tree ensues. A happy ending eventually makes its presence felt, because even Tigger is smart enough to recognise that with friends like Pooh, Piglet, R00 and Eeyore, who needs family? Dunfennline: Odeon.

Time Code (18) iii (Mike Figgis, US, 2000) Saffron Burrows, Salma Hayek, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeanne Tripplehom. 97 mins. Another audacious, experimental feature from Figgis, interweaving four improvised stories shot in real time and projected on to a split- screen simultaneously. The characters' lives criss-cross in time and space, as they enter and leave different locations, interact face-to-face or on the phone, and slowly converge upon the ofﬁce of lndie ﬁlm production company Red Mullet Inc, where a tyrannical director is in the ﬁnal stages of casting his new movie. lntellectually invigorating, technologically bold and — perhaps most surprisingly given the technical nature of the project — always emotionally involving. Glasgow: GF'T. Edinburgh: Cameo.

Titan A.E. (12) tutti (Don Bluth/Gary Goldman, US, 2000) Voices of Matt Damon, Bill Pulman, Drew Barrymore. 95 mins. Earth has just been creamed by the unspeakany evil alien Drej. Humankind‘s fate rests (literally) in the hands of humble astro-mechanic Cale Tucker (Damon) who is part of the small number of human refugees sprinkled about the universe. A rip-roaring space adventure like they certainly never used to make ‘em, Titan A.E. (After Earth) is animation imitating live action, and is markedly post-Armageddon and Independence Day both in look and outlook. General release.

Tom And Jerry The Movie (U) it (Phil Roman, US, 1992) Voices of Richard Kind, Dana Hill, Charlotte Rae. 84 mins. That's right: ‘with the voices of'. The world‘s greatest cat and mouse act not only talk, but sing and dance their way through their ﬁrst feature, as they cope with leaving home and being out on the streets. It will divert the kids, certainly, but life-long fans will be disappointed to see (and hear) these cultural icons expand beyond sublime ﬁve-minute burst of mayhem. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Topsy-Turvy (12) their (Mike Leigh, UK. 2000) Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Martin Savage. 159 mins. At the ﬁlm‘s core is the turbulent creative partnership between Victorian opera writer Gilbert (Broadbent) and playboy genius composer Sullivan (Corduner). But preparations for their greatest show, The Mikado, involve a whole cast who give flawless performances. This might be Leigh's ﬁrst period drama, but it's another excellent ensemble piece engaging with his usual preoccupation: people at work, rest and play. Edinburgh: Lumiere.

Toy Story 2 (U) ***** (John Lasseter, US, 2000) Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack. 95 mins. The new ﬁlm expands on the original settings and themes: When Woody is not taken to Cowboy Camp by his owner Andy, he begins to question the meaning of his ‘life‘. When he's subsequently stolen by a collector — who plans to sell him to a Japanese toy museum — Buzz and the gang travel across town to rescue their pal. The emotive range of the animated characters is extraordinary; they say that computer generated images will never replace the real thing, but Toy Story 2 makes you wonder. Glasgow: UCl. East Kilbride: UCl.

tension, Toy Story is sprinkled with comic asides. Don‘t be fooled into thinking these toys are just for the kids. Glasgow: Odeon.

TWin Falls Idaho (15) *ttt (Michael and Mark Polish, US, 2000) Michele Hicks, Michael and Mark Polish. 120 mins. A call girl (Hicks) visits a seedy hotel in an unnamed American city, where she encounters a pair of Siamese twins, Blake (Mark Polish) and Francis (Michael Polish). In this melancholic fable, plot takes second-place to the eerie atmosphere. An imaginative variation on the traditional love-triangle, the ﬁlmmakers use the central relationship between Blake and Francis as a metaphor to examine notions of dependency and attachment, separation and loss, jealousy and loneliness. See Famespotting and review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

U-571 (12) *iit (Jonathan Mostow, US/UK, 2000) Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel. 115 mins. Mostow plays fast and loose with WWll history; the ﬁrst successful attempt to secure an Enigma coding device from a German U-Boat was achieved by the Royal (not US) Navy. But his aim isn’t gritty realism. Instead, this is a rollicking, old fashioned adventure that‘s more in the style of The Guns OfNavarone than Das Boot. McConaughey comes over like a movie hero from the mould that broke when Mitchum and McQueen hit the din. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.

La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (15) *** (Patrice Leconte, France, 2000) Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteil, Emir Kusturica. 112 mins. The ever-versatile Leconte follows the fairytale playfulness of The Girl On The Bridge with this moumful period melodrama. Partly an examination of the iniquity of the death penalty and partly a portrait of the harshness of life in a godforsaken 19th century colonial outpost, La Veuve is above all a fatalistic love story, in which l'amour, in both the physical and platonic senses, leads to such tragic consequences. Glasgow: GFI‘.

The Virgin Suicides (15) time (Soﬁa Coppola, US, 2000) Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner, James Woods. 96 mins. American suburbia in the 19705. When the ﬁve beautiful Lisbon sisters begin killing themselves one- by-one, there's nothing the local and adoring boys can do but watch, and afterwards carry into their adult lives regret, confusion and loss. Coppola's adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides‘ novel is shot through with a beautiful, melancholic nostalgia for lost youth. The central mystery is never resolved, and the ﬁlm remains all the more powerful for it. Edinburgh: Cameo.

War Of The Worlds (PG) (Byron Haskin, US, 1953) Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne. 85 mins. [10. Wells‘s classic is hijacked by the Americans and transported to California in the 19503, thereby giving it that distinctive post-atomic sci-ﬁ feel. The Oscars (still pretty impressive) won Oscars in their day, and it is stirring to see these vast cityscapes under attack from Martian spaceships. Edinburgh: Lumiere.

Whatever (Extension Du Domaine De La Luttle) (18) *‘kii (Philippe Harel, France, 2000) Philippe Harel, Jose Garcia. 120 mins. Harel‘s character sees the world as a mixture of winners and losers, not just ﬁnancially but sexually also. Where men control the economy, women are in charge of the sexual purse strings, thus leaving our comfortably off hero without sex for two years. As much a study of male rage as male incompetence, and, in consequence, an impressive ifdodgy mixture of the sardonic and the heartfelt. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

X-Men (12) **** (Bryan Singer, US, 2000) Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman. 104 mins. This adaptation of the popular Marvel Comic sees super-powered mutants outlawed in America of the near future. Magneto (McKellen), the master of magnetism and Holocaust survivor, will not stop at mass murder to protect his own kind; Professor Xavier (Stewart), a telepath, seeks peaceful co- existence with humankind. To further their ends the two old foes employ rival teams of mutants in a deadly game of chess. It's a difﬁcult balance, satisfying the fans without alienating those unfamiliar with the comic book. X-Men pulls it off with speedy pacing, imaginatively staged action set pieces and a smart script full of witty dialogue and a message about race prejudice that's not overplayed. General release.